Despite a frustrating 2-1 defeat at home to Newcastle at the weekend, it has been an overwhelmingly positive season for Tottenham so far.

A stretch of 14 matches unbeaten in the Premier League can used to suggest that Mauricio Pochettino’s side will be more resilient this term, while the forging of a collective team spirit is evident on the pitch.

With a young and able squad at the Argentine’s disposal, there is every reason to believe that the North London outfit can finally ditch the nearleymen tag and finish in the top four this term.

However, a key reason for Spurs’ stellar showings this season has been Pochettino’s focus on group fitness and the subsequent attributes that this offers Tottenham as a team.

The former Southampton trainer prioritised football training drills in the off-season to have his young side capable of lots of running, which has helped him to install his philosophy at White Hart Lane.

Pochettino urges his side to press the opposition high up the pitch, with the dual benefit of stalling the opposition’s attacking play and winning back possession in dangerous areas.

This tactic was deployed last season but not all the players bought into it; this campaign has been a different story, with the strikers and midfielders getting through their lion’s share of work in every game thanks to bolstered fitness.

The Newcastle game aside, it has been evident that Tottenham have had running in the tank late in Premier League games this season, which has helped the energetic and youthful side win points.

Participation in the Europa League and the subsequent increase in fixtures also means that Pochettino needs a squad with high fitness levels.

Over recent campaigns Spurs have had poor results in the Premier League games directly after European action, but this had improved this season before the defeat at the hands of Steve McClaren’s men.

The focus on endurance training has this Tottenham team as a mobile and persistent opponent, with the fans respecting the fact that the players will work to their maximum for 90 minutes and outrun the opposition.

Pochettino’s tactics can be successful but they are also draining, which was proved last year as North London side ran out of steam to some degree towards the business end of the campaign.

With a manic festive season schedule on the way and cup competitions ramping up, Spurs’ collective endeavour and desire is set to be put to the test, but their impressive levels of fitness can only be seen as a positive in the hunt for success.

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With Tottenham seemingly no closer to attaining a place as a regular Premier League top-four finisher, there is just cause to look back at where it has went wrong over the last couple of seasons.

The days when the north London outfit were beating Serie A giants Inter and AC Milan in the Champions League now feel like an eternity ago, with the current crop of Spurs players stuttering at the start of 2014-15.

Harry Redknapp was the man responsible for leading Tottenham to the Champions League and oversaw two fourth-placed finishes in his three-year tenure at White Hart Lane.

However, due to the ongoing ambition of the club, the now QPR boss was shown the door in the summer of 2012 for not delivering inclusion to Europe’s top club tournament.

Given that Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood have failed to inspire the required confidence to be deemed as the man to take the club forward and Mauricio Pochettino is already feeling the heat, does Daniel Levy regret getting rid of Redknapp?

There is no doubt that Pochettino is a young manger of ability, displayed for all to see during his time at Southampton, but he needs to be given time at the club; there will most likely need to be steps back before progression can be made.

That said, Spurs have stagnated and made little progress since the departure of Redknapp and have been experiencing the consequences of too much ambition and impetuousness for the last two years.

Although not the man to great a Sir Alex Ferguson-like legacy at Spurs, it would be very interesting to see how the club would be currently sitting if Redknapp had been given more time back in 2012.